100 years of BMW: in pictures

BMW celebrates its centenary on March 7th 2016. In this gallery we look back at some of the most significant moments in the German company's history.

Double-hulled aircraft being built at the Otto plant in 1913, which three years later was taken over by a new business, Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke (BFW). It wasn't until a year later that it adopted the BMW name and propeller symbol, using the blue and white colours of the Bavarian coat of arms.

By 1923 BMW had moved into motorcycle production. This is its first such vehicle, the R 32

Car manufacturing followed in 1928, with BMW's first car being an Austin Seven built under licence

In 1929 Ernst Henne, riding a BMW R37, set a world speed record for riding a motorcycle, clocking 134mph

In later years BMW car production would become synonymous with six-cylinder engines. This was its first, the 303. Note too the double kidney radiator grille

BMW's aero engines powered many planes, including this 1930s Junkers Ju 52. It also supplied aero and jet engines to the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. Towards the end of the war, BMW's plants were heavily bombed, and those that were left were taken over by the Allies. BMW was then banned from manufacturing any kind of vehicles, so instead produced pots and pans.

BMW was granted permission by United States authorities to build motorcycles again in 1947. The R24 was its first post-war bike, and went into production in 1948.

BMW's first car post-war was the 501 of 1948

The Baroque Angel, shown here at the 1951 Frankfurt motor show, would go on to become the BMW 502 and feature world's first light alloy V8 engine.

In 1954 BMW took out a licence to build the Isetta "bubble car"

BMW's first sports car, the 507 of 1956, would go on to be arguably its prettiest

These days, BMW is known primarily for its saloon cars, a trend it kicked off in 1962 with the "New Class" 1500. This car followed a financial crisis three years earlier during which BMW was almost taken over by Daimler-Benz.

BMW has a long history in motorsport. Here an 1800 TI takes part in the 12 Hour Race at the Nurburgring in 1964

By the mid-1960s BMW's fortunes were on the up. In 1966 it took over Hans Glas GmbH, which remains its largest plant. Here workers are shown during a shift change at the Munich-Milbertshofen plant.

Off the back of success in European Touring Cars, BMW launched its first turbocharged production car, the 2002 in 1974

BMW continues to build motorcycles to this day. The R100 RS of 1976 was the first production bike to feature all-round wind and weather fairings.

The flagship model in BMW's range is the 7-series saloon, the first of which was launched in 1977.

The BMW M1 was a mid-engined supercar unveiled in 1978.

BMW's two-wheeled motorsport exploits have included competing in and winning the Paris-Dakar rally. Here, Hubert Auriol rides in the 1984 event.

With Nelson Piquet at the wheel, the BMW-powered Brabham BT52 won the Formula One World Championship in 1983, the first turbocharged engine to do so.

The BMW M3 of 1986 would go on to become the most successful touring car ever. Here, road and race car are shown side by side in order to prove how closely related they are.

The Z1 of 1987 was the first car to come out of BMW Technik GMbH, a think thank to develop ideas and concepts for the future. The two-seater sports car was unusual for having doors that retracted into the sills rather than opening conventionally.

In 1994 BMW acquired Rover Group from BAE, and at the same time took over the company's plant in Oxford, where it would subsequently produce the Mini.

The E39-generation 5-series was launched in 1995. The M5 version (pictured) that followed used a V8 engine and is still regarded as one of the best BMW M cars of all time.

In 1998 Rover launched what would be its final all-new model, the 75. At the same time BMW acquired the Rolls-Royce name in regard to cars (it had already formed the BMW Rolls-Royce aero engine company eight years before).

In 1999 BMW won the Le Mans 24 Hours, but of more significance to its long-term success was the launch of the X5 SUV. As a vehicle with the looks of an off-roader and the driving dynamics of a saloon, it set the template for all SUVs to come.

BMW returned to Formula One in 2000 in partnership with Willams. In the same year it also sold Rover and Land Rover, but kept hold of Mini.

BMW's version of the Mini was launched in 2001 and would go on to spawn numerous versions. In the same year as marketing its new small car, BMW revealed a new 7-series luxury model and set up its Hams Hall engine plant in North Warwickshire.

In 2003 a new plant was opened in Goodwood, West Sussex, where the all-new Rolls-Royce Phantom would be built. The enormous Phantom set new standard for luxury motoring.

By 2004 BMW was well into its stride of multiple new vehicle launches, bringing not only the all-new 1-series (pictured) to market but also the 6-series Convertible and X3 compact SUV.

By 2007 Mini had delivered one million cars. A Clubman version joined the range, but the company failed to adapt its unusual single rear door arrangement for right-hand drive, meaning passengers had to exit the car via the road rather than the pavement.

In 2009 BMW revealed not only a new version of its 5-series executive saloon, but also the Vision EfficientDynamics concept, which set the tone for the forthcoming i8 petrol-electric hybrid.

Production of the i3 electric car began in 2013 and marked the first time a premium brand had built an electric vehicle from the ground up that would be sold to the public. The i sub-brand was first proposed two years earlier, with the idea of not only building electrically-powered vehicles, but also developing innovative mobility services such as allowing your phone to communicate with your car.

The i8 petrol-electric sports car followed on from the i3 in 2014. This plug-in hybrid might only have a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine, but it still has the performance to match a Porsche 911.

The all-new BMW 7-series was launched in 2015 as the company's most advanced car to date. This luxury model features an air suspension system that can read the road in order to provide the most comfortable ride possible, plus innovations such as remote parking, gesture control and a touchscreen key fob.

The most recent addition to BMW's M car range is the M2. This small coupe is powered by a turbocharged six-cylinder engine and perfectly combines strong performance with balanced handling, leading us to describe it as 'one of the BMW M Division’s greats'.